Cuzco

Fall Drawings, 2011

Bandit

Dachshund

10" X 8" colored ink

Boone

Viszula

5" X 7" sepia-colored ink

Chyna

Pitbull

5" X 7" colored ink

Izzy, Bianca, and Tyson

Pugs

8" X 10" black ink

Koda

Labrador retriever/Border collie mix

10" X 8" black ink

Oliver

Hound-dog mix

8" X 10" colored ink

Spencer

Border terrier

8" X 10" black ink

Cuzco, Center of the Universe

Cuzco

8" X 10" pen and ink

2010

Cuzco is a 13-year-old Border collie mix, with one brown eye and one blue one, and he’s lucky to be alive. He’s had five near-death experiences in the course of his long life, one that deprived him of the use of his hind legs, although it didn’t diminish his spirit in the least. Cuzco greeted me boisterously and enthusiastically when I went for a visit. He graciously posed for a slew of photographs, never taking his eyes off his people. It was difficult to say who doted on whom the most.

Here’s how Cuzco got his name:

“My husband I and our two children went to Cuzco, Peru, as part of our visit to Machu Pichu. All four of us fell in love with Cuzco. The energy in the city was vibrant and alive. Then we discovered the name, Cuzco, means both umbilicus and center of the universe. Cuzco was right in the middle of the Inca Empire, which stretched equally north, south, east, and west from that hub. When we found our beloved dog at the shelter six months later, it was easy to name him Cuzco, or center of the universe! That has clearly been his place for us over the past 13 years.” ~Vicki

Two Lovely Lassies

Meghan & Missy

10" X 8" pen and ink

2010

I couldn’t draw these two lovely lassies without harkening back to Sunday night episodes of Lassie on our black-and-white TV, my three brothers and I, crowded onto the couch in our pajamas, wiggling our drop-seat fannies, dangling our rubber-soled feet over the edge, elbowing each other, and eagerly awaiting Timmy’s next catastrophe and Lassie’s new heroism. Am I dating myself?

Brian & Leslie

1958

Missy

Missy is a purebred rough-coated collie, not unlike Lassie. “You might notice,” Terri points out, “that Missy’s nose is slightly bent to her right and her lower jaw is shorter than her upper jaw. Thus, her lower teeth always show as if she’s smiling.”

Meghan

Meghan was a collie/Brittany spaniel mix and—Alas!—no longer alive. “Meghan had a lot of collie characteristics,” Terri says, “but her ears could go up, out, or flop, whereas Missy’s ears always stand straight up.” Meghan was a happy dog; Missy is, too.

Again, I faced the challenge of bringing two dogs together—in this case, two dogs who had never met each other in real life—in the same drawing. My challenge was compounded by the fact that the photo references weren’t as close-up as I would have liked, the details not as clear. But I loved Meghan’s fly away ears in the night scene and Missy’s cocked head, skewed nose, and crooked smile in the couch scene. So I squinted and drew and remembered Timmy in trouble—yet again!—shouting “Get help, Lassie!” and Lassie bounding over hill and dale on her mission to bark some silly person into sensibility. She always saved the day—yet again!—in under 30 minutes. It was a fun week of drawing!

Sassy

Sassy

7" X 5" pen and ink

2009

Here's Sassy! My first portrait of the year. I've not met Sassy and I don't know what breed, or combination of breeds, she is -- Boston Terrier? Boxer? Border Collie? Pitbull? -- but I feel sure that she's full of personality and pizazz. In a word -- SASSY!

Ruby II

Ruby II

5" X 7" pen and ink

2009

Ruby II, a Springer Spaniel/Border Collie/Labrador Retriever mix, was Moose's predecessor. She also was a rescue dog, from a shelter on Mount Desert Island in Maine, home of Acadia National Park. And, of course, Ruby II's predecessor was Ruby I, a pure-bred Springer Spaniel, and one of my very first pet portraits. I drew Ruby I for my friend Maggie 11 long years ago and that experience helped launch my PenPets business. I'm trying to decide if my style has changed over the years.

Ruby I

6" X 6" pen and ink

1998

Maggie writes, "I'm already trying to pick out a spot to hang all three dog portraits together."

Moose Ears

Moose

7" X 5" pen-and-ink

2009

Moose is all Down East dog. Part collie/part husky, and rescued from the Hancock County SPCA, he lives happily in Lamoine, Maine, with his adopted family of four. I think he's a handsome fellow. LOVE the cock-eyed ears!

As you can see, I've got my PenPets Etsy Shop up and running. Click on any of the images in the mini-shop to the right, and you will be taken directly to my shop, without passing "Go" and without collecting $200! Sorry folks! The shop is a work in progress. I'm trying to add a new species every day. No sales so far, but I'm hopeful.

My newly designed website is coming along, too, thanks to the hard work of my webmaster, Demetri. So stay tuned! there's lots more to come!

Kate Strides Again!

Kate, a Border Collie

6" X 10" woodcut

2008

I had the privilege of watching Kate in action the year I volunteered at Overlook Farm, the Northeast Learning and Livestock Center for Heifer Project International, in Rutland, Massachusetts. During a year’s sabbatical from teaching high-school English (1993-1994), I spent one day a week happily slopping hogs, fattening turkeys, milking goats, and admiring Kate. I also drew a calendar of farm animals and Kate was Miss December.

Miss December

8" X 10" pen and ink

1994

Kate was a canine cyclone of centripetal force. She was absolutely focused on her efforts to keep Overlook Farm’s diverse flock in line—sheep, goats, cows, a team of water buffalo, llamas, a camel, even the occasional errant hog, who probably outweighed her by a good 300 or 400 pounds. Kate executed her duties with determination, intelligence, and aplomb. Few of her furry charges could withstand the intensity of her unwavering stare. Neither could many humans. When she wasn’t busy bossing the farm animals around, Kate insisted on playing soccer with any two-footed minion she could corral. She was a fierce competitor! No mere two-footer ever scored against her.

I carved this woodblock of Kate thinking I’d submit it to the Common Ground Country Fair poster contest. Then I read their size preferences and realized that mine were way off. So, back to the cutting board! I’m about ready to embark on a new idea. Stay tuned for future woodcuts!